Red Queen Therapeutics

Red Queen Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology firm, established in 2021, focused on developing treatments for a wide array of virus-borne illnesses. The company was co-founded by the life sciences venture capital firm Apple Tree Partners (ATP) and Dr. Loren Walensky, a physician-scientist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute whose research into stapled lipopeptides provides the foundation for the company's core technology. Dr. Walensky is a Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and an Attending Physician in Pediatric Oncology at Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Hospital, bringing deep expertise in peptide therapeutics to the company's mission.

The company's strategic focus is on developing antiviral therapies that can serve both the general population and, in particular, immunocompromised patients who are at a higher risk from viral pathogens. Red Queen's business model revolves around the development and clinical validation of its drug pipeline, fueled by significant venture funding. In August 2024, the company announced a $55 million Series A commitment from its co-founder, ATP, to advance its programs. Additionally, it has secured a contract with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to support the preclinical development of a pan-influenza therapeutic.

Red Queen’s core product is a proprietary platform technology that creates stapled lipopeptides. These therapeutics are designed to inhibit viral fusion, the process by which enveloped viruses like coronaviruses and influenzas enter host cells. By blocking this essential and highly conserved mechanism, the drugs aim to prevent infection, slow disease progression, and hasten viral clearance. This approach is designed to be effective across entire families of viruses and their variants, posing a high barrier to resistance. A key benefit is that the mechanism does not rely on the patient's immune system, making it a suitable option for immunocompromised individuals. The company's lead candidate, RQ-01, is an intranasal treatment for COVID-19 that showed a positive safety profile and evidence of efficacy in a Phase 1 trial. Other programs in the pipeline include RQ-02 for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and treatments for influenza and herpes. The therapies are being developed for multiple administration routes, including nasal spray, inhaler, and injection, and are designed to be shelf-stable at room temperature.

Keywords: antiviral therapeutics, stapled lipopeptide, viral fusion inhibition, immunocompromised patients, clinical-stage biotechnology, Apple Tree Partners, Loren Walensky, pan-influenza, coronavirus treatment, RSV treatment, BARDA contract, infectious disease, broad-spectrum antiviral, drug development, biopharmaceuticals, Series A funding, Cambridge biotech, viral entry inhibitor, emerging pathogens, respiratory viruses